Thin Air
by egg10rru
Summary: Another sweet little how-they-got-together fic. Oneshot, and it's rated T! Don't die of shock, everyone xD


This is dedicated to Bandersnatch202, who wanted something that wasn't rated M. It's another get-together fic, not connected to any of my other fics.

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May I remind everyone that I fucking _hate_ heights.

Well, not so much in small quantities, but it's not a place that is comfortable to experience for extended lengths of time. They're good for the view, I can enjoy them for a couple minutes and then I like my feet planted back firmly on solid ground. I mean, if humans were meant to stay up high for long, we'd have wings. You see any wings sprouting out of my fucking freckled shoulders? I didn't think so.

Of course, _Colin's_ having a blast. All smiles on that side. Not surprising, though. All cats love heights. And I swear, anyone that owns freaking seven cats had to have been a cat in their past life. I'd put him down as a crazy cat lady, only he's too cute for the title.

Scratch that. You did not hear me call him cute. I have no idea where that came from.

Anyway, it's all his fault that I'm here. In the Ferris wheel, I mean. I _offered_ to go on the roller coasters, seeing as they're fast and fun, but nooooo, Colin wants to on the effing Ferris wheel so that he "can enjoy the height!"

Like I said. Total cat.

Yeah, so maybe I should tell you what happened. I mean, after all, I don't think anyone expected to see us at an amusement park after he totally found out about the way I obsess about hi…um, about taking extensive notes over things that interest me.

Well, long story short, I sort of had to tell him about the notebooks. I mean, he'd seen them already anyway, right? I couldn't exactly avoid the subject again. So I told him that it wasn't just him, that I took notes over lots of things that interested me. He seemed a little upset at that; I guess he thought I was a pervert or something, until I told him that I'd never been interested in any other human before, mostly just videogames and such. He calmed down immediately after that, and offered to do first aid on my cheek. He punches _hard_.

That's how I found out about the cats. He brought me up to his apartment (dude, the guy has the _entire second floor_ to himself. Is he lucky or what?) and they swarmed me, I'm not even kidding you. They're really affectionate to me, but I don't think they like most people because Colin looked shocked when they started rubbing against my ankles. What, was he expecting them to attack me? Vengeful much?

Anyway, I apologized for being sneaky about our friendship, and told him how important our friendship was to me, since I don't really have any friends my age, guy ones anyway. Mandy doesn't count, she's almost a sidekick. And I told Colin how I'm pretty good at judging peoples' personalities, and how I didn't think he would have accepted my friendship if I had gone straight out and tried to be friends without forcing him. He admitted I had a point, and from there we patched things up. We're better now.

He _still_ won't tell me about Gaia, because apparently it's top secret. He keeps saying "maybe someday." Whatever the hell that means.

Anyway, that was last weekend, and today is Saturday. Colin wanted to do some more "normal" (non-physics-related) things together, you know, so we can get to know each other better, without all the secrecy. The new policy is "ask if you want to know something." I love how that applies to everything _except_ Gaia, the one thing I'm really curious about. Dammit.

And after that long-ass head rant, you'd expect that the damn contraption would have started moving again. But _no_, of _course_ we're still stuck at the very effing top. I can never catch a break. Fucking Ferris wheel. Although I need to stop internally monologue-ing now, because Colin seems to have _finally _noticed that everything is not just peachy. But, well…I'm glad he was having fun.

"Tory?" Colin asks, and I turn to look at him (actually, I've been staring at him in my peripheral vision, so here I mean that I physically turn to face him so he won't catch on.) I can feel the scowl dissolve off my face, leaving me looking only mildly annoyed. How does he _do_ that?

"Yeah?" I ask a little dully, knowing that he already knows that I'm not enjoying this. I'm not gonna rant at _him_, he doesn't deserve that. It's not his fault I don't like heights.

"You don't like it in here."

"…no." I look at the floor again.

"It's not me, is it?"

I jerk my head up in surprise at Colin's soft, rather serious tone. What, did he expect me to actually ever grow tired of spending time with him? Like hell!

"Of _course_ it's not!" I growl out firmly, and stare at him until he looks up to see that I'm serious.

He looks relieved. Well, at least he likes knowing that I like being around him. That's good. "Claustrophobia?"

"No," I sigh. "Heights. They're not too bad, but…I don't really enjoy them."

"Then…why did you agree to come up here with me?" Colin actually sounds confused.

"Because you wanted to go." I say simply.

"But you didn't want to," he presses.

I laugh, a short, humorless bark. "So? You wanted to."

"But you _didn't_ want to. Why didn't you say something?"

I give a small, irritated sigh. It wasn't that complicated. Why was he so worried about it? "Because _you_ wanted to. I owe you anyway for all that crap with the notebook. What's the big deal?" I shiver a little, because it's cold even through my coat. Heat may rise, but it's dispersed by the time it gets three hundred feet in the air. …Good job, idiot. Way to remind yourself how far off the ground you are.

Colin frowns. "Friendship isn't about owing someone, or about give and take. It's about enjoying time together, and communication, and compromise."

"Well, you communicated that you wanted to go on this thing, and I compromised my discomfort for your happiness." I say quietly, and hesitate a second before finishing my thought. "I…wanted you to be happy. I wanted…to _make_ you happy."

Something in Colin's eyes soften, and he slides onto my seat next to me, reaching for my hand and squeezing it before letting our clasped hands rest lightly on the bench in between us. It's comforting, and feels a lot more natural than the park, or when we walked home from the bakery. I guess third time's the charm? Anyway, my pulse isn't pounding hard enough that he can hear it, so I guess that means I'm getting more comfortable with holding hands. It feels nice, so I'm glad he seems to like it too.

For a moment it's very still; faint sounds come from the park below us and there's a light sprinkling of snow starting to stick to the windows, blurring our view of the sky and everything far below it. I like that, it feels a little safer, like I can pretend that I'm not really here. Well, not that here is so bad, with Colin holding my hand.

"Thank you," he whispers into the silence, his breath puffing out and swirling in a way that mesmerizes me. I watch it dance and dissipate, hoping that the red in my cheeks just looks like it's coming from the cold, and that I'm not too much redder than Colin is at the moment. He's really very cute with pink cheeks; I'm not even going to try to deny that this time. I'm glad I have something to watch other than him, or I'd probably be blushing harder. The steam fades quickly, but trapped in the moment time doesn't seem relative.

I make a small wish on the last wisp, and when it's gone I pull away my hand to take off my gloves, before offering my hand to Colin again. My heart beats a little harder, but my little wish comes true and he smiles, taking off his gloves too and squeezing my hand. His skin is soft. He can probably feel my heartbeat now, but I don't care.

"Thin air in high up places makes people do crazy things sometimes." Colin announces suddenly.

My eyes widen a little. Did he think I was crazy for wanting to have skin contact?

He looks at me, and there's something in his eyes that I don't get. It's almost a look…of determination, but wh—

Soft lips press against mine, softer than his skin, and I stop thinking.

A thrill shivers through me, and my eyes stay open, locked on his. We stare at each other and seem to come to some sort of quiet agreement, and our eyes slide closed. It's a short kiss, sweet, but so short. I'm not going to let it be that short. No way. I slide my other hand into his hair, and it's almost as soft as his lips, softer than his skin. I'm very glad I took both gloves off, not just the one to hold his hand.

He squeezes our hands and then lets go, slipping both arms around my neck and licking at my lips. I part them, surprised that he's being so bold; not that I've thought too much about being…more than friends, I guess…but I still think I'd be the more dominating of the two of us. Maybe he doesn't know that. Should I show him that?

I let him press his tongue into my mouth, and he tastes like the hot cocoa he had drunk earlier. I wonder what I taste like? That cotton candy, maybe? But he said he hated cotton candy, he didn't want any when I bought some. If he's kissing me anyway without pulling back, maybe that attests to how much he…likes me? I sure as hell hope so.

Anyway, I suppose I should show a little domination, even though I have no idea how to kiss. So I suck on his tongue a little, and apparently that was the right thing to do, because he lets out a moan into my mouth. It was a gorgeous sound, sent shivers down my spine, and I want to hear it again, so I wrap my arm that's not currently preoccupied with his lovely hair around his waist and pull him closer, rubbing his back and fighting his tongue until we enter his mouth. It tastes even more like chocolate, and I lick happily at everything I can reach, running my tongue over his teeth and wrapping it sensually around his own. He rewards me with another heart-stopping moan, and if I could smile while kissing I would.

We part after a minute, breathing heavily, neither sure what to say. There's a little saliva connecting our lips and I lean forward for another quick kiss to catch and break it, and then look at Colin to see his reaction. He's smiling, and a little dazed, which I like to believe is because of me, not just the lack of oxygen. His arms are still around my neck, and I pull him close encouragingly, sliding my hand regretfully out of his hair to join the one around his waist. He cuddles closer, seeming a little relieved, so I guess that means I did the right thing again. We sit still for several minutes, just holding each other, and I don't think I've ever had a happier moment in my life, not even when I kicked Paul's ass in an online tournament and won prize money.

As we sit there, the wheel lurches into motion, beginning a slow descent, and the one thought running through my mind is DAMMIT.

Colin jerks back away from me suddenly, and for a moment I'm scared, but he grabs my hand and squeezes tightly, looking reluctant to let go. He turns pleading eyes on me, and fuck if he isn't the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

"You know," I murmer, "I hear hyperventilating causes the air to thin out in your lungs."

Something fearful seems to shatter in his face and he smiles beautifully, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb. "Then I'd faint," he answers logically.

I smile. "I'd catch you."

"My hero," he teases, impulsively wrapping his arms around me and kissing me shyly. I don't take it into anything deeper, because even if it is a slow-moving wheel we don't have time for that. We simply hold each other for another minute before sighing and letting go, settling for joined hands. I know we're in for another long conversation when we find a place to sit down, but I'm sure I'll enjoy this one far more than telling Colin about my notebook addiction. When we reach the ground we get out, and I can't help but sigh in irritation, looking longingly at the top of the wheel.

And all of a sudden I can't remember why I don't like heights. …I don't like heights? What are you talking about?

Heh. Though I don't need thin air to be crazy about Colin.

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Yeah, a little cliche, but still sweet. Hope you liked.


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